


a cup of magic

by sea_jays



Series: Winter Challenge 2020 [3]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drinking, Eddie Kaspbrak & Stanley Uris Live, Everybody Lives, Fluff, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Minor Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, just a bunch of friends hanging out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22105582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sea_jays/pseuds/sea_jays
Summary: Mike claims he can make the best hot cocoa they’ve ever tasted. He’s right.just the Losers hanging out and drinking cocoa.
Series: Winter Challenge 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589764
Kudos: 7





	a cup of magic

Ben flutters about the house, straightening things that aren’t crooked and wiping down clean counters. Beverly watches in amusement from her perch on the couch and thinks about saying something, but instead just lets him work out his anxiety. 

A knock on the door has him jumping, straightening his back and smoothing down his shirt. He touches his hair like he might do something to it but shakes his head and pads to the door, shooting a slightly panicked look over his shoulder at Bev. 

She smiles reassuringly and he squares his shoulders and throws the door open, grinning at the people on the other side. 

“Haystack!” Richie walks through the door without waiting for an invitation, Eddie close on his heels. “I hope we’re not  _ too _ early. Eddie insisted on leaving  _ five hours _ early.” His smile is bright but Bev can hear the annoyance lurking beneath. 

She laughs, covering it with her hand as she rises to her feet and greets them both with a hug. 

“You should always get to the airport  _ at least _ four hours early. You never know what might happen!” 

“You guys are right on time.” Ben smiles and she sees some of the tension leak out of his shoulders. She moves to stand next to him, resting her hand on his arm, and he clasps his fingers around hers. 

“See! I told you we were fine!” 

Bev laughs again and they move towards the living room, shedding shoes and coats as necessary. Richie begins telling them about a recent show he did, Eddie interjecting whenever he had something he felt needed to be added. About halfway through the story there’s a soft knock on the door and Ben goes to answer it. 

She glances towards the entryway and sees Mike step inside. He raises a hand in greeting and she returns it with a smile before focusing her attention back on Richie and Eddie. They had started arguing about some insignificant detail and she watches in amusement, the scene reminding her of when they were kids.

Mike joins them and adds his own stories to the mix, talking about all the places he’s seen since leaving Derry with promises of pictures after everyone else arrives. 

The next knock comes a few minutes later, during a lull in conversation. They all turn to watch as Ben opens the door. There’s murmured conversation and Ben smiles softly, motioning for whoever it is to step inside. Then Stan is standing in the entryway, his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes dancing across the room. He sees them all in the living room and Bev can see emotions race across his face. 

The last time he’d seen them all he’d been in the hospital.

Bev is on her feet and at his side in seconds, her arms wrapped tight around him as relief floods her. She wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t show, but sometimes she wakes up in the morning with the image of him in that bathtub lingering in her mind. 

“I’m so glad you could make it.” 

He hesitates for a moment before his arms come around her and he squeezes back. “Me too.”

They break apart and the others are there, patting his shoulder and squeezing his hand, dragging him into the living room and demanding he tell them all about his life. Bev lingers behind with Ben, her hand once again resting on his arm. 

“One more,” she says, glancing up at him with a smile. 

“One more,” he agrees, squeezing he fingers. 

They wait together, because it’s Big Bill who comes next and although Bev loves Ben completely, she can’t stop the nervous flutter of her heart against her ribcage at the thought of seeing him again. A girl never forgot her first love.

Bill’s knock fills the house with silence as all attention turns to the door, and Bev opens it this time. Bill sees her and smiles, and she grabs his hand and tugs him inside and into her arms. He returns the hug with a breathy laugh, stepping back to hug Ben next.

“This is an impressive place,” he says when he steps away from Ben, glancing around the entryway. He spots the rest of the Losers hovering in the living room and his smile is bright. 

“Thanks,” Ben says, because Ben built it and Bev knows how proud he is of his work. She grins and takes his hand, and then they all gather in the living room.

Mike fulfills his promise of pictures, putting them up on the TV so everyone can see them. They ooh and aah at the appropriate moments, and Richie makes jokes at the inappropriate ones. Bill tells them a bit about a secret project he’s working on, and Stan announces his wife’s pregnancy. They all celebrate, and no one mentions the killer clown of their past or the curse it had put on them all. 

Bev isn’t sure who pours the first drink, but it’s not long until they’re all a little bit buzzed, and she’s reminded of the first night in Derry. Everyone at the table, talking about the things they missed over the years, except this time Stan is with them, and the time between seeing each other is far less.

Love warms her and she laughs at something Richie says, leaning her head against Ben’s shoulder. His arm is around her shoulders and she can feel Bill’s leg pressing against hers. Richie had pulled Eddie down into the armchair with him, and after some struggling Eddie let himself relax against his chest. Stan is sitting on Bill’s other side, and Mike stands above them all. 

_ This is what home feels like. _

X

An hour later Richie and Bill are arm wrestling on the coffee table and Mike announces that he’s going to make hot cocoa.

“Why?” Stan asks. He’d shifted over on the couch after Bill left and at some point Bev had slid her legs over his lap, her head against Ben’s chest. 

“Because I make the best damn cocoa you’ve ever had.”

Eddie arches a brow and glances at them and Bev shrugs.

“I wouldn’t mind a cup of cocoa.”

It  _ had _ started to snow during their party, the flakes small and light but still there. The room was plenty warm, but just the fact that it was cold enough to snow had Bev shiver slightly. 

Ben chuckles and shifts Beverly so she’s leaning against the couch and rises to his feet. “I’ll show you where everything is.” He leads Mike into the kitchen and the rest of them settle in to wait. Richie cheers when he pins Bill’s hand, throwing his own in the air and falling back against Eddie’s legs.

“I am the strongest!”

“Yes, yes.” Eddie pats his head and makes a face that has Bev giggling and Stan shaking his head. Bill moves to take the spot Ben vacated and Bev stretches herself across his lap, wiggling her toes towards Stan’s face. 

She lets her eyes drift shut and just listens as the boys talk. She feels Ben come back, leaning against the couch above her, and she offers him her hand. He takes it, brushing his mouth over her knuckles, and she smiles. 

She must doze off, the next thing she knows she’s being shaken awake as Mike hands out steaming mugs. She accepts hers with a murmured thank you, cupping the mug in her hands as the rich scent of cocoa fills her nose. 

“The best cocoa you’ve ever had,” Mike announces, raising his mug. 

“To the Losers Club!” Richie says, raising his own. “Still losers after all this time.”

They laugh and clink their mugs together before taking a sip. Silence fills the room as they all drink, and Bev closes her eyes as flavor explodes over her tongue. She can taste the rich chocolate, the sweetness of sugar, and even a hint of lavender. She thinks she might be moaning, but she’s not sure.

She thinks she might have actually died. 

“I’ve seen god and they are this drink,” Richie says. 

“Told ya I make the best cocoa.” Mike sounds smug and Bev laughs, he deserves to sound smug. He was right.

“Mike, how would you like to live here and be my personal cocoa chef?” Ben asks. 

“Tempting offer, but I’ve still got more of the world to see.” 

They lapse into silence as they enjoy their drinks, and once again Bev is reminded of how much she loves her boys. Her life might not have been the easiest, they might have been through hell, but they made it, and they were together, and that was all that really mattered.

“I love you,” Bev says, to Mike, and to Ben, and to her cocoa, and to the rest of the Losers.

“Is that to us or the drink?” Richie asks. “Because I’m about to ask this cocoa to marry me and I know I can’t compete with you.”

Bev laughs and stretches her foot to lightly kick Richie’s. 

“To all of you … and to the drink.” She looks over at Mike with a smile. “I expect you to make this again next year.”

“Of course. It’ll be our tradition.” 


End file.
